


A Soft Epilogue

by whatdoyoucallafemaletimelord



Series: Bates Motel, continued [3]
Category: Bates Motel (2013)
Genre: Alternate Ending, F/M, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2018-11-16 18:38:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11258649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatdoyoucallafemaletimelord/pseuds/whatdoyoucallafemaletimelord
Summary: Bates Motel meets Beetlejuice meets happily ever after.





	1. We deserve a soft epilogue, my love

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter titles excerpted from Seventy Years of Sleep by Nikka Ursula (houseangelos on Tumblr).

It's dark for a while, as if he's simply asleep, and then he opens his eyes to find himself in his wife's bed, morning sun pouring into the room. 

Alex lifts his head from the pillow and looks around. He's alone, but he can smell Norma, and he knows you can't smell anything in dreams. The last thing he remembers is limping back to the motel, stumbling into the gravel parking lot and lifting his head toward the house. He stares at the room for a moment longer then sighs, sits up, and swings his legs over the edge of the bed. 

He looks down and sees he's only wearing underwear and a t-shirt. The clothes he last wore are nowhere to be found, but he notices his police uniform lying over a chair. Alex furrows his brows and squints at it but ultimately accepts what he sees.

After pulling on his clothes, Alex takes one last glance around the room, making it quick. He's been mourning for the past two years, and although he must have thought it was a good idea to sleep here last night, he thinks it's best for him to leave now. He doesn't want to be reminded of all the painful details he's been trying to repress so he can focus on finding Norman. 

He descends the stairs, keeping his eyes straight ahead, gaze locked on the door, and is about to turn the knob when he hears a soft gasp behind him. 

"Alex...?!" 

Her voice has been haunting him ever since he lost her and hearing it now feels like an electric shock. Slowly, he turns to see his wife standing not ten feet away. She's wearing that blue robe he loves, her hair a bit of a mess, her eyes wide and crystal clear, just like he remembers. 

"Norma?" he asks hesitantly, taking a step forward.

She runs into his arms, nearly knocking him over. Tears fill his eyes as he's overwhelmed by her scent and the feeling of finally holding her in his arms again. 

"Are—are you real?" he manages. She must be, he thinks. She has to be. No force in the universe could be cruel enough to present him with an illusion like this. He holds her head against him and buries his nose in her hair.

"Yes, yes I'm real," Norma says, clutching onto him so tightly he can hardly breathe.

"How?"

Norma's hands slide down to his chest, Alex loosening his grip just enough to allow her to stand nose to nose with him. She looks at him and smiles sadly. "We're dead, honey."

"We—" Alex begins, but stops as his last moments come rushing back to him. Finding the house empty but for Chick, learning Norman was at the station, and kneeling in the snow over Norma's body. He looks at her standing before him now, his face distraught. "No."

"Yes, honey," Norma says, petting his face fondly.

"But Norman is still... Still..."

"Shhh," she tries to comfort him. Her fingers slide into his hair, and all she wants to do is pull his lips down to hers. "You don't have to worry about him anymore. You're here with me, and isn't that what you really wanted?" 

He stares at her blankly, even though she's right. Norma takes a deep, unnecessary breath to prepare herself for the explanation he deserves. 

"That night, after I wrote you that letter, and Norman and I went to bed... The next thing I knew, I was walking into the kitchen to make breakfast. When I went to wake Norman, I couldn't find him anywhere, and when I tried stepping outside it was pitch black, even though it looked like morning from inside."

Alex glances toward the living room, brightly lit by the sun.

"I was out there for who knows how long, stumbling around in total darkness, before I ran into the porch steps. As soon as I was in the door, everything was all right." 

She can tell Alex is trying to decide whether or not he believes her. She grabs his hand and leads him through one door then opens the other. Everything still appears to look normal. "Step out there, but don't let go of me," she says, squeezing his hand with enough force to break bones, just in case.

He does as he's told and is instantly taken aback by the oppressive darkness. Strong winds whip at his face, stinging his eyes. There's absolutely nothing—not even subtly different shades of black or gray to hint at the existence of the stairs or the motel—only an abyss. When he turns back to Norma, he can't even see her standing in the doorway. She pulls him back inside and quickly swings the door shut.

"We can't leave," she says, if he had any doubts. "I didn't even know you were coming. I thought I was going to be alone forever..." Norma looks down.

Alex lifts her chin, observes her pout and suddenly sorrowful eyes, and presses his lips to hers for the first time in what feels like an eternity. Norma sighs into his mouth and throws her arms around his neck. They kiss each other with all the passion of two miserable and lonely years spent apart. 

Norma breaks away briefly to whisper, "Take me to bed," into his ear.

Alex has plenty of questions, all fighting to be asked first, which he shoves to the back of his mind. He bends to hoist her off the ground and she locks her ankles behind his back. This time when he climbs the stairs with his wife in his arms, their lips never part.

"I missed you so much," he says against her mouth. "I thought about you... every second... of every day." 

"I missed you, too." Alex sets Norma down on the bed and she pulls him down on top of her. "I'm sorry for leaving you that way," she says softly, running her fingertips over his face.

He kisses her again before replying, "It wasn't your fault."

"But I should have—"

Alex tries not to think of his time in prison as he tells her, "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm here." He drops some kisses to her neck and collarbone. "I'm here."

Norma lets it go. There will be plenty of time to apologize more later.

She pushes on his shoulders, rolling him onto the mattress so she can lay on his chest as she kisses him. Alex hugs her to him, one arm wrapped around her shoulders and one hand caressing her ass. Norma tilts her head to the side, and Alex whispers, "Just don't do that again."

She laughs into his mouth as her chest tightens at the sound of his voice so low. She slides back down onto the bed while pulling at his shirt until it's come untucked. Alex begins to unbutton it, still laying on his back. He can't help smiling as he tries to keep his mouth pressed against Norma's. 

He props himself up on one elbow to get the shirt off and Norma helps him undress the rest of the way, taking her time as she undoes his belt and zipper. Alex slips his pants and underwear down as one, Norma easing them down to his ankles and removing his shoes in the process. He pushes her robe off her shoulders and is pleased to see that she's wearing nothing else, as usual, when she lets it fall to the floor.

Norma crawls on top of him again, taking his cock in hand and rubbing to get him hard. His hands travel up and down her sides from breasts to hips, finally resting back on her ass. She nudges one of her legs in between his and presses herself against his thigh, craving friction between her legs. 

Alex places a hand on her arm and shifts her off of him, then he takes her hands and they lock their fingers together as he slowly slides inside of her. When he can't go any farther, he pulls back and begins to move rhythmically and without haste.

"I love you," he says, thinking that this is how it should have been the first time, thinking of the nights they should have had and all the ones they will now.

"I love you," she says back, holding his gaze. She can still hardly believe he's there. She had a terrible feeling that he wouldn't live long without her and didn't even hope that he'd be joining her in the afterlife. She thought that she was doomed to live in her own personal hell—it was what she deserved.

"Alex," she breathes, eyes falling shut. 

"Yes, baby."

"Alex, I—" 

Just then his stroke hits that rough spot inside of her and she cries out. He grins wickedly and adjusts his position so he can keep at it.

"I'm so—" Norma tries again. "Happy you're here."

Alex lowers his mouth to where her neck meets her shoulder and inhales her scent. Gradually he begins to increase his tempo, and Norma lets go of his hands to grab his shoulders and hold him closer while she rocks her hips up into his.

"Norma," he says her name like a warning. 

"Yes, honey."

She continues to match his thrusts and he groans against her skin. One of her hands travels up into his hair, and he picks his head up to look into her eyes. Norma smiles the best she can while gasping for air. Her head rolls back into the pillow as she comes, but she keeps her eyes on Alex, watching his expression as he finishes too. 

He lets his forehead rest against hers while he tries to catch his breath. He feels like he would be okay without the air, even knows that he doesn't need it, but it's harder than expected to get used to not breathing. And sex wouldn't be the same without the panting, so he doesn't try to stop himself.

Norma places her hands on his face and says, "I love you." She missed telling him that every day.

"I love you too, baby," he says, smiling like a madman, and kisses her with the last bit of energy he has.

Alex rolls off of her but the length of his body remains pressed against hers. He brushes a few strands of hair away from her face and kisses her cheek. She grins and wraps her arms around him.

"Can we stay here all day?" he asks.

"We can stay here forever."

Alex laughs, shaking both of them lightly. He never thought he would have this good of a time in the afterlife.


	2. We've suffered enough

He doesn't know how long they spend lying there in silence, but he never loosens his hold on her. He's completely blissed-out laying in her arms, and while she keeps her eyes on him the whole time, he switches between trailing his hands and eyes over her body and letting the sun warm the back of his eyelids. When he's almost drifted off to sleep, she asks him the one question that's been on her mind since he arrived.

"How did it happen?"

Alex blinks. "What?"

She swallows. "How did you die?" Her voice is pained, and he wishes he knew what she meant the first time.

He looks up at her, mouth a hard-pressed line. "Norman," he says quietly.

Norma turns her head away. She feared he would say that. Her voice breaks as she says, "He killed me too."

"I know."

Alex sits up and pulls her into his arms. He lets his head fall back against the headboard as she starts to weep softly against his chest. He doesn't know what to say, what he can say that won't upset her further, so he just rubs her back and lets her cry.

Still sniffling, she says, almost to herself, "How could I let this happen?"

Alex takes a deep breath, and when he exhales Norma can tell he's seething but biting his tongue. 

"I know," she says, voice steadying but staying quiet. "I know. You were right."

"I didn't want to be."

"I know you didn't." 

She brushes her thumb back and forth over his skin. He gives her a little squeeze and sighs. After a minute, he changes the subject.

"So, tell me more about how this whole thing works. Are we in some kind of limbo?"

Norma is grateful that he's not scolding her for being so neglectful. "I don't know, really," she says. "As far as I can tell, this is it. Indefinitely."

"And we can't leave the house."

"And we can't leave the house... And the living can't see us."

"I saw you. For a few seconds."

"That seems to be the limit for most people."

Alex wrinkles his brows, trying to decide what he makes of this statement. Norma leans over him to pick a book up off the nightstand and hands it to him. It's titled "Handbook for the Recently Deceased" and he stares at it, perplexed.

"The living can't hear us either," she continues. "I knew you had to be dead this time because you heard me, and you didn't a few days ago. Norman never hears me... He thinks he does, but he's sick and confused and—"

"Wait." Alex places a hand on her arm. "Norman?" his voice is a mixture of anger and fear. 

Norma looks at him, somewhat surprised. "Yes. You know he's been living here the whole time."

"I—yeah, I just—I didn't—" Alex shakes his head and sets the book aside. When he looks back at Norma, he sees the pain in her eyes, and realizes she must feel very conflicted. "How did you—"

"It hasn't been easy. Especially seeing myself all..." She shivers, then folds her arms and recomposes herself. "He's my son, and I'll always love him. I should have done more, and I should have listened to you, because if I had, he never would have done this to me. Or you..." She frowns and looks down and away.

"He doesn't mean to do bad things. Norman is my sweet boy. The real Norman. This Norman..." 

Alex rubs her shoulders and squeezes them lightly. "I know," he says. 

She instantly looks up at him. "You do?"

He sighs. "I was furious at him for taking you away from me. I wanted some justice. I wasn't able to stop and think about how sick he was at that point. I know he's changed since you first moved here, and I would like him to be that kid again. But..."

"He won't bother us," she says quickly. "He's down at the motel during most of the day, and he stays out of my room... For the most part." She casts her eyes downward again. "I don't know if he'll ever get better. I'm afraid that he won't. But he can't hurt us anymore. He doesn't even know we're here." 

It's supposed to be a good thing, but Alex can tell it's not entirely for her. He pulls her into another hug. 

"There's nothing we can't get through," he says. "We're together, that's all that matters."

"Really?"

Alex almost laughs, it's so absurd to think that he'd care about anything else.

"Yes, Norma."

"Oh, good."

She lays a hand on his cheek and kisses him, and a smile spreads across his face. She beams back at him then climbs onto his lap as she continues kissing him. When she feels him grow hard beneath her, she pulls away and raises an eyebrow.

"Ready to go again?"

Alex doesn't even try to look sheepish. "It's been a long time," he says and kisses her. "And you're pretty irresistible." He rolls her over as she dissolves into laughter.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Norma comes down the stairs to find Alex standing in the living room, staring out the front window. He's dressed in jeans and a t-shirt now, and she's put on a blouse and skirt.

"What are you looking at?"

Alex lets the curtains fall back into place. "Nothing," he says. He was watching for Norman. 

Norma walks over to him and opens the curtains. She sees her car is still in the parking lot. "He hasn't been home in a few days. Last time he was, Dylan was here and there was a lot of noise, I think the police were even here, but I didn't come out of my room until they were gone... He hasn't been back since." She bites her bottom lip and looks over at Alex.

He glances away, debating for a moment whether he should fill her in. His voice is soft when he says, "He was at the station. I found him there and made him take me to you."

Norma braves herself and asks, "Where?"

"In—" 

Alex stops as he catches a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye. They both turn back to the window and watch Norman drive up in Chick's car and park at the base of the stairs. Norma grabs onto Alex's arm and presses her other hand against her abdomen to steady herself. 

Norman steps out of the car and stands beside it. They look on in silence, trying to figure out what he's doing. His face is covered in his blood and Alex's. After a minute, he opens the passenger door and reaches into the backseat. Alex catches on first and steps in front of Norma to block her view.

"Don't look," he tells her, but over his shoulder she sees Norman pull her body out of the car. She makes a pained noise and buries her head in his neck. "Come on," Alex says. He turns her around and leads her toward the stairs with one arm wrapped around her waist. They hurry to their bedroom and Alex locks the door behind them.

Norma starts pacing at the foot of the bed. She tries to speak a couple times but can't find any words.

Alex watches her for a moment. His heart aches seeing her so distraught. Even in death, it seems she can't rest. He walks up to her and opens his arms, and she steps into his embrace.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take," she says finally.

Alex doesn't say anything, but he's thinking he should have killed Norman as soon as he uncovered Norma's body, and he blames himself for causing her more unnecessary pain. 

"This can't go on forever, Alex. It can't. But what the hell can we do to stop it?"

'Nothing' is the unspoken answer that hangs in the air over them. Alex just runs his hands up and down her back. After a while, he says, "We'll just stay away from him."

Norma pulls away from him and goes to sit on the bed. She bows her head and puts her face in her hands. Alex sits down next to her and puts an arm over her shoulders, not sure what else to do.

Eventually Norma lifts her head and when she looks at him, she sees the Handbook for the Recently Deceased sitting on the table behind him. She picks it up and starts fanning through the pages. "This thing is pretty useless, but it can be entertaining," she says in a flat voice. "See, look here. 'The deceased can perform everyday tasks such as eating and sleeping, however unnecessary. Even sexual intimacy may be enjoyed. Be advised against attempting intimacy with the living. Unpleasant consequences often arise when children are conceived from these unions, as one may imagine.'"

"It says that?" Alex asks, looking closer at its pages.

"You cannot make this shit up."

He smiles at her reference back to their wedding night and she manages a half-smile as well. Alex takes the book from her and flips to the front. He reads out the chapter titles from the table of contents: "'Rules for Life After Death. Haunting Guidelines. Geographical and Temporal Perimeters. Additional Freedoms and Limitations for the Deceased.'"

While doing their best not to think about the corpse downstairs, they immerse themselves in the Handbook. Alex lets Norma show him all her favorite quotes, and she lets him search for a better understanding of their current state, even though she knows the damn thing is no help, just to pass the time.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Hours later, they're still sitting up in bed, sharing stories from their past. More than once, they'd noted how strange it was that they had known each other for years, trusted each other completely, and loved one another more than they ever thought possible, but hardly knew a thing about the other person. 

"My parents—Theresa and Vincent—grew up in the same little town just outside Havana. They came to the U.S. just before the embargo banned immigrants. They lived in New York first, and that's where my sister was born. Her name's Rosa Maria, but everyone calls her Mia. She lives in San Diego now. The family moved to Seattle when my dad's company transferred him. He worked for PepsiCo for a long time before he decided he wanted to enroll in the police academy. I was born right after he graduated."

Norma smiles up at Alex as he begins to tell her about his school years (they were nothing special). Her head rests in his lap, and he's sitting back against the pillows, running his fingers through her hair as he talks. 

"I started basic training two weeks after I graduated from high school. The first couple of years in the service were pretty quiet, but then the Gulf War started and they shipped me off to Saudi Arabia."

"How long were you there?"

Before Alex gets the chance to answer, they hear shouting coming from downstairs. They hadn't even noticed Dylan come in, had been trying to ignore the sound of the door as Norman came and went, but now he's screaming at Norman loud enough that they can clearly make out his words. 

"You're not living in the real world! You need to live in the real world! You—You have to stop this!"

When he lowers his voice enough that his words become unintelligible, Norma sits up and worries her lip between her teeth as she perches on the edge of the bed. She's turning back to Alex when the gunshot goes off.

She's gone in two seconds and Alex is right behind her. She looks in the living room then turns and rushes into the dining room just as Alex reaches the bottom of the stairs. She cries out and falls to the floor when she sees Norman lying in Dylan's arms, and Alex drops to the floor to hold her back as she tries to crawl over to them. 

"Norma. Norma, no."

"Please," she begs him, straining against his arms. "Please, let me—let me—my son. My Norman."

He releases her and looks on sadly as she breaks down into horrible, anguished sobs. 

She's still crying when Dylan eases Norman onto the floor and gets up to call 911. Alex lets her hug Norman's body until he hears the authorities arrive, then he walks over to her and stoops down next to her. He places a hand on her back and gently pulls her away from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to Nestor Carbonell's Wikipedia for the information/inspiration for Alex's background.


	3. I stand before you and tell you "I'm home"

Norma wakes the next morning still feeling emotionally drained. She sighs and finds Alex's hand beneath the sheets and pulls his arm around her. She hugs it to her, closing her eyes again.

Her poor baby boy. A part of her feels relieved that Norman won't be harming anyone else or living in turmoil anymore. But she wishes he had gotten help and gone on to live a normal life rather than die at his brother's hand. She squeezes her eyes shut tighter at the thought. 

Alex starts to stir behind her and she realizes it's probably because she's clamped her hand down on his. She loosens her grip and whispers, "Sorry hon."

"Huh?"

Norma turns in his embrace to see him rubbing at his eyes. "Nothing," she says. She snakes a hand around his waist and tucks her head under his chin.

Still mostly-asleep, Alex hums in response and clumsily drapes his arm around her shoulders. 

She exhales heavily and listens to the sound of Alex's relaxed breathing. If she tries hard enough, she can even imagine that she hears his heart beat too.

After a minute or so she thinks he's drifted off again. She wants him to wake up so he can take her mind off Norman but lets him sleep. She slept a lot the first couple days too. And he deserves some time to rest, after the hell he's been through.

She starts thinking about what she could make him for breakfast. It would be nice to have some normalcy. Both of them could use it. She thinks there's half a dozen eggs in the fridge, there might be some pancake mix in the cupboard, and Norman just bought a loaf of bread the other day... 

It occurs to her that whatever food is in the house now is all they have to last them for...ever. They don't need it, but she's found that it's a nice treat every once in a while. Now they'll have to save it for special occasions. No, they won't even be able to do that if most of it's perishables. For god's sake.

Norma blows some air out in a huff. It tickles Alex near the crook of his elbow and he cracks his eyes open. Norma's head prevents him from looking down when he tries to see what that was, and she realizes he's awake.

She tilts her head up and a smile spreads across her face. "Good morning."

Alex's mouth turns up at the corner. "Morning, baby."

"How'd you sleep?" she asks, turning to lay on her stomach so she can meet his eyes easier.

"Great," he says, trailing a hand up and down her arm. "How about you?"

"Oh, alright."

"Only 'alright?'" 

She gives a little shrug, half-frowns, and tells him, "Yesterday was rough... But it was nice to have someone to hold at night again."

"Just 'nice?'"

Norma sees he's teasing her and, attempting to hold back a smile, says, "Listen here, mister."

Alex kisses her before she has the chance to go on, then presses his forehead to hers. "I know it was a tough day for you. It's over now. It's all over..." He doesn't just mean the day before.

She lets her eyes fall shut again as she gives him a close-lipped smile, then kisses him again. He pulls her on top of him and runs his hands down her back. 

"I'm gonna try to," she says between kisses, "Scrape up some breakfast. Okay?"

"Okay," Alex says, and keeps right on kissing her and doesn't loosen his hold when she tries to pull away.

"Alex."

"Don't go yet."

She obeys his wish, settling back down against his bare chest. He digs his fingers into the flesh of her ass, pulling her against his erection. She smiles against his mouth, happy to have him back and starting her days like this.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

"Damn it!" Norma curses, although she's not really all that upset. 

Alex laughs and sweeps the cards across the table toward him, then picks up the deck and begins to shuffle. They're sitting on the floor opposite each other, Norma leaning back against the couch.

"How can you be so good at this? It's a game of chance, for god's sake." 

"What can I say?" he shrugs. 

"God, I'm dead and I'm still unlucky as hell."

Alex tries not to smile. "Maybe this hand," he says, dealing them each new cards.

"Mmm-hmm."

Norma picks up her cards, lifts an eyebrow, and glances across the table. Alex gave her three queens and two tens. 

He looks up and catches her staring. "How many?"

"None," she replies.

"None?"

"None!"

"Okay... I'm taking two," he says, still eyeing her. He throws aside the undesired cards and draws new ones. "Hmm."

"You still think you got me beat, Sheriff?"

"We'll see."

Norma proudly lays down her full house, beaming until Alex reveals his straight flush.

"Are you freaking kidding me!" she exclaims, smacking him. 

Alex bursts into laughter, falling over onto his side. Norma crawls around the coffee table to continue whacking at him, and he rolls onto his back and lifts his arms to protect himself. Norma throws herself on top of him, knowing that he's strong but not strong enough to bench press her. 

"Ah! Hey!" he says, still laughing.

Norma plants her hands on the floor at either side of his head and holds his legs in place with her thighs. A wide grin spreads across her face as she looks down at him. He's no longer struggling beneath her but instead returning her smile. 

His hands come to rest on her waist as she lowers her face to his. As their tongues meet, Alex thinks he could definitely get used to this: spending all day, every day, being silly and sweet and making love, repeat ad infinitum.

At that moment, the front door creaks open and a familiar voice calls out, "Mother?"

They both freeze. Norma's eyes are wider than Alex has ever seen them. She sits up on top of him, then cautiously turns toward the front door.

"Mother!" Norman says, seeing her.

Her heart jumps and she scrambles off of Alex. Norman sweeps her up into a hug and twirls her around. "Oh, Mother." 

He sets her down so he can take a look at her. Norma is speechless, holding his face in her hands. "Norman, you're..." Her eyes begin to tear up.

"What? Mother, is something wrong?" Norman's brow wrinkles as he searches her face for a clue as to why she looks so surprised to see him. Then he sees Alex Romero rise to his feet behind her. 

Alex takes a few steps toward them, and Norma lets go of Norman and looks back at her husband. Her eyes are pleading for him to tell her what to do. Norman's hands drop to his sides, and he narrows his eyes at Alex.

"Hello, Sheriff."

"Norman," Alex replies. His face is hard despite his effort to keep a neutral expression. He studies Norman for a moment, trying to feel him out. "Do you know what's going on?"

A confused look passes over Norman's face. "No," he says, "Um, why are you here, Sheriff? Mother, what's—"

"Norman..." she begins. There's a note of fear in her voice. She doesn't know what kind of person he is now that he's dead. 

Alex comes to stand beside her which makes her feel safer. Norman looks back and forth between the two of them. 

The last time the three of them were in the same room it didn't end well. The memory comes back to Norman as they're all standing there looking at each other without saying a word. 

"I'm—I'm sorry for how I behaved the last time we saw each other," Norman says to Alex, thinking of their dinner, not of them in the snowy woods where he had buried Norma. 

"What do you mean?" Alex asks, calmly as he can.

"The way I stormed out, that was pretty rude of me. But, you've got to understand that for as long as I can remember, it's just been the two of us—" He glances at Norma. "—against the world. It will take some time to get used to another person in the house."

"Norman," Norma cuts in. "Honey. Do you remember anything after that night?"

"What?" 

"Try... to remember," she says softly.

He seems confused for a second, then his face changes as the events of the past two years flood his mind. He starts to step back as the images flash before his eyes faster and faster the closer he gets to the present. Mother—no, that was him—killing Sam. Sitting in the interrogation room of the police station. Inviting Dylan to dinner. Fading out of consciousness in his brother's arms. 

Norman looks up at Norma suddenly, stopping in his tracks, then turns and bolts for the door. 

"Norman, no!" 

Norma runs after him but is unable to stop him from leaving the house. She stands in the doorway yelling his name.

"What can we do?" Alex asks, stepping up behind her.

Norma says nothing, just takes his hand and steps outside. Alex grabs at the wall and catches himself before she pulls him all the way out too. She continues calling for Norman. 

Alex can't see him anywhere. Hesitantly, he puts one foot on the porch and pokes his head out, plunging into the darkness. With his grip on the door frame turning his knuckles white, he extends his arm as far as he can to give Norma some more leeway. 

"Norman! Norman! Follow my voice! Norman!"

Alex joins her, but after a few minutes of shouting, he starts to lose hope. He shudders to think what happens to someone when they get lost out here and can't find their way back.

Eventually, over the sound of the roaring wind, another voice starts to grow louder.

"Mother? Mother! Mother, where are you?"

"Here! Norman, here!" she calls, relief evident in her voice.

"Mother!"

"Here, honey, I'm here! Oh, Norman! Here. Come here. Come on."

Alex steps back inside and they follow, everyone's hands linked together like children crossing the street in a line. He shuts the door as Norma leads Norman to the couch. 

Norman is beside himself, unable to meet her eyes. "Norman, it's okay. Settle down. It's all right." 

He shakes his head. "No. No. It isn't, Mother. It isn't. I—I—oh my God, what I did to you Mother. I—" He tries to turn away from her but she stops him.

"Norman. Listen to me. Norman, please." She sighs and bites her lip and looks to Alex again for strength. He sits down on the coffee table and rests a hand on her knee. 

Turning back to Norman, she says, "You were a sick boy. You didn't know what you were doing. I know you didn't mean to, honey." 

He looks into her eyes for a second, then hangs his head and starts to cry. Norma pulls his head to her chest and rubs his back, rocking him a little.

Alex takes a deep breath, trying to decide how he feels about what's happening. He certainly hadn't expected Norman to be joining them—neither had Norma—and he had built up a lot of hate for this young man. It wasn't that he'd been lying to Norma when he told her that he knew, underneath it all, Norman was ill. But saying he understood when he thought he'd never have to deal with Norman again and facing an eternity with this boy who ultimately murdered his mother are two very different things.

He watches a sorrowful Norma comfort her son and knows he has no choice but to adapt to the new "living" arrangements. 

Norman's sobs subside after several minutes, and Norma asks him if he wants to go to the bathroom to get himself together. He nods, rises, and moves toward the stairs.

"And don't go outside again, honey. I'll tell you all about it when you come back." 

Norma waits until he's out of sight before turning to Alex. She grits her teeth, making a face that says "this is awkward" and "I hope this is okay."

Alex closes his eyes and nods. "We can do this," he says. As soon as the words are out, Norma is throwing her arms around his neck. He holds her tight and warily eyes the stairs.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Alex has retrieved the Handbook at Norma's request. They wait quietly in the living room, sitting side by side on the couch, for Norman to return.

When he finally rejoins them, he looks flushed and generally bewildered. Norma gestures for him to sit beside her, and he does so without a word.

"Do you have any questions?" she says after a moment, when it becomes clear he's not going to speak first.

He raises his eyebrows and rolls his eyes. Where to start. "How... How is this possible, Mother?"

"I don't know, sweetheart." She takes his hand in hers. "But this is life now."

Norman falls silent again. Alex clears his throat and leans over Norma with his arm outstretched, offering the Handbook to Norman. "This might help you understand a bit more."

Norma's eyes urge him to be polite, but he knows that it's more of a command rather than a request. He looks down at the book and reads the title before accepting it. "Thank you, Sheriff," he says reluctantly.

"You can call me Alex, really. I haven't been sheriff for a while."

"I think I'll keep calling you Sheriff, for now, if you don't mind."

"Norman," Norma warns.

"It's okay," Alex says. "That's fine, Norman. I just didn't want you to feel like you had to treat me so formally."

Norman nods and looks away. He can't help feeling ashamed for the way he treated Alex in the past, all because he was jealous of his mother showing affection for someone who wasn't him. He knows now that it wasn't right what he did. So many of the things he did were horribly wrong, he can't even count them all... 

He forcefully pushes the memories away.

"Norman," Alex says, getting his attention. "I love your mother very much. I know our relationship began suddenly and you didn't have time to process it and you were scared so you lashed out. I promise I never wanted to upset your relationship with her." 

Norman thinks of all the times he tried to end Alex and his mother's relationship. 

Alex takes a deep breath to prepare him for the next words he's about to say. He flicks his eyes to Norma and back, reminding himself he's doing this for her. "I'm sorry for not trying to get you help after... Your mother's death," he manages.

"Pfft. I _murdered_ you, Sheriff. I should be the one apologizing."

Alex starts to speak but stops himself before he says something he'll regret. He sighs and then says, "I think we can agree that we both wish we hadn't acted the way we did. What do you say we put all that behind us and start again?" 

He holds his hand out to Norman and they shake on it. Alex exhales in relief, glad that's out of the way, and turns to his wife. 

Norma looks between her two men lovingly. She lays a hand on Alex's thigh and he wraps an arm around her waist. "Honey," she says, turning back to Norman. "What else do you wanna know about our situation?"

"Well," he says, glancing down at the Handbook. "A lot." He allows himself a little laugh.

Norma grins at him encouragingly. "I'll try my best."

Norman smiles back at her, feeling all the excitement from when he arrived to be with her again.


	4. People talk about us in mere tragedy

Norman went to bed just after nine o'clock, saying he was exhausted and needed some time to be alone, and Norma said she'd go upstairs with him to say goodnight.

Alex is leaning back against the pillows on the couch, rubbing his hands over his face. They—well, Norma and Norman, mostly—spent half the afternoon and all evening talking about their afterlife. Norma regaled the two of them with everything she'd learned during her time in the house, leaving them feeling overloaded with information.

Alex hears Norma coming down the stairs and drops his hands to watch her walk toward him. She gives him a tired smile and proceeds to curl into his side, tucking her legs underneath her.

She sighs as he hugs her to him. He thinks they're going to fall asleep right there, and wouldn't care if they did, but Norma rouses him before he's able to drift off completely.

"Come on, honey."

She stands and pulls him up with both hands, then leads him to their bedroom. He stumbles over his own feet while climbing the stairs and falls on the bed without bothering to take his clothes off first.

Norma stands there a moment looking at him then undresses. When she sits down next to him, he doesn't budge.

"Alex?"

"Mmm."

"Are you going to sleep like that?"

"Mmm."

Norma rolls her eyes at him. She lifts his arms up over his head so she can ease his shirt off, then carefully removes his pants.

She folds his clothes and sets them in the proper dresser drawers. As she places the shirt over top of his police uniform, she feels something hard in its chest pocket. Frowning, she pulls the tan shirt out and reaches into the pocket.

Her mouth falls open when she takes out the object and sees it's her wedding ring. She lets the uniform fall back into the drawer as she turns the ring over, watching the diamond sparkle at her.

She returns to the bed and sits down next to Alex, still examining the ring. She's sure he would have given it to her if he knew he had it, so he must not have realized. Norma slips it onto her finger and only debates for a few seconds whether to wait to tell him about it in the morning.

"Alex," she says, shaking him. "Alex, wake up."

"What?" he replies, startled.

"Look."

Norma holds out her hand and he squints at it, then the ring comes into focus and he sits up and grabs her hand.

"Where did you find this?" he wants to know. She tells him. "I didn't... I left it with my belongings..."

He looks up at her and she stops staring at the band on her finger to meet his eyes. He takes her face in his hand and kisses her deeply, using his mouth to apologize for not bringing the ring with him and to show her how happy he is that she has it back now.

Norma places a hand on his cheek and leans back against the pillows. She may have had to wait a while for her happy ending, but now that she's got it, she couldn't ask for anything more. She smiles against her husband's mouth.

"I thought you were tired," she breathes.

"Nuh-uh," he mumbles, and slides a hand down her waist, over the curve of her hip, and stops behind her knee. He pulls her leg up around his middle and she wraps the other around him too. He pulls away for a moment to admire her and they grin at each other. Then Norma grabs him by the back of the neck and pulls him back down to her lips. Alex briefly thinks Norman is going to hate the two of them going at it all the time like teenagers, but like a teenager, he doesn't really care.

One of his hands travels to up into Norma's hair, and he breathes in the smell of it when he lowers his mouth to the underside of her jaw. She lets her hands run up and down his back and holds him close. After a minute he returns to her mouth, his kisses slower and more labored now. He's not fully hard, and Norma realizes he probably is too tired for this. She disentangles her legs from him, hands sliding to his chest and pushing him onto his back.

Norma climbs up on his lap, and the sight of her sitting there smiling down at him, eyebrows quirked into a question, makes Alex smile wide. She starts to rock her hips against him, and he sighs and lets his head fall back. She rests her hands on his shoulders, and he looks up to see her breasts inches away from his face. He cups them with both hands, making her breathing hitch. She leans down and whispers, "I love you," into his ear.

Alex's eyes flutter and he suppresses a grunt as his erection grows harder. His hands fall away from her so he can push down the boxers he's still wearing. Norma lets him do it himself, no help as she continues to move on top of him. It takes him an agonizingly long time to free himself, and the instant he does Norma sits up and slides him inside of her.

He grabs her by the waist to keep the tempo of her hips nice and slow. Her eyes fall closed for a second but she opens them right back up again so she can watch his face. His eyes travel up her body and when he meets her gaze, he urges her to speed up.

She maintains a steady rhythm for a while but starts to lose control when Alex's hands wander to the small of her back, fingertips grazing her ass.

"Yes, baby," he encourages, her movements growing faster still.

Norma tries to hold on for as long as possible, and sees Alex is doing the same, even though he's fatigued. "Come on," she says, her voice at once husky and gentle. His breathing grows ragged and he strains to keep his eyes on her. They finish at nearly the same time, Alex finally letting his eyes close as Norma collapses onto his chest.

"I love you," he says and he hugs her, one hand still on her back, the other laying atop her head.

Norma readjusts herself, easing him out of her, and nestles under his chin.

"Goodnight, hon," she says softly.

"Goodnight, Norma," Alex says.

He pulls the blankets up around them and they're both asleep within minutes.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

The next morning, Alex opens his eyes to Norma sitting up in bed, reading a worn copy of _Jane Eyre_. She notices him stirring and saves her spot with the tassel attached to the book's spine.

"Hey, sleepyhead," she greets him, fingers slipping into his hair as she pets his head.

Alex rubs his face and drowsily asks, "What time is it?"

"Almost twelve-thirty." Norma tilts her head at him. "Are you ready to get up now?"

"Can you make coffee?"

"Sure."

"Then yes."

Norma laughs and looks at him fondly. He pushes himself up into a sitting position, then takes her face in his hands and kisses her. "I think I might take a shower too," he says, pulling away.

"Go ahead, hon."

She watches him leave the room before she moves to go downstairs. Norman is sitting in a chair in the living room with his laptop on his knees and looks up when she comes down.

"Hi, Mother."

"Hi, honey," she says brightly. "I'll be in in a second." She gets the coffee going then comes back into the living room. Sitting on the arm of his chair, she asks, "What are you doing?"

"Looking for a good movie," Norman says. "I thought we could watch something together—all three of us."

Norma smiles at him, touched at the effort he's making to get along with Alex. "That sounds like a good idea. What have you found?"

" _Spellbound_ , _Bringing Up Baby_ , _Some Like it Hot_..."

"Oh, I haven't seen _Some Like it Hot_ in ages!"

"We can watch that then," he says with a smile.

"You'll love it," she says, getting up to return to the kitchen.

Alex walks in just as she's pouring him a cup and hugs her from behind.

"Mmm, you smell good," she tells him.

"Did I smell bad before?"

"No," she says, turning and wrapping her arms around his neck. "You just smell fresh now." She kisses him and then hands him his coffee. "Here."

"Thanks, babe."

"Come on in the living room, Norman found a movie for us to watch."

"Oh, okay."

He follows her there, and Norman meets his eyes and gives him a small smile when he walks in. Norman is trying to adjust his computer so all three of them will be able to see the screen.

"You got it?" Norma asks him.

"Yeah, it's all ready." Satisfied, he hits play and sits on the far end of the couch. Norma takes her place in the middle and Alex squeezes in on the other end. "Have you ever seen this, Sheriff?" Norman asks when the title comes up.

"No, I haven't."

"Me either, but Mother says it's really good."

"Well, I'm sure she's right."

Norma smiles at him and places a hand on his knee, then turns to the screen and laces her arm through Norman's. They watch the whole film like that, except for a brief moment when Alex gets up to grab another cup of coffee. When the movie ends, Norman sits forward to put away his laptop and says, "You know, Mother, it's a shame you never cared much for Halloween. You could've dressed up as Marilyn Monroe."

She snorts a little at this ridiculous notion. "Oh, come on, Norman. She's gorgeous, I'm nowhere near as pretty as her."

"Yes, you are."

"You're beautiful."

"You're both biased," she says, dismissing their words with a wave of her hand. She picks up Alex's empty mug and heads toward the kitchen.

Norman glances at Alex and then back to his laptop. "She never takes me seriously when I try to compliment her," Norma hears him say from the other room. "Does she ever listen to you?"

"Sometimes," Alex replies.

Norma smiles to herself. She's overjoyed that they're getting along after everything. "Mother," Norman says from the doorway, surprising her. "Sorry. I'm gonna show Alex some of my taxidermy stuff downstairs."

"Okay, honey." She walks to the doorway and watches him disappear down the basement steps. Alex shoots her a look as he's about to follow Norman, and she grabs his hand and pulls him back. She kisses him with a grin and then sends him down the stairs.

"Sheriff?"

"Yeah, right behind you."

Almost as soon as they're out of earshot, there's the sound of a key turning in a lock. Norma looks up at the front door, thinking she must be hearing things, then it creaks open and Dylan slowly steps inside. She draws in a sharp breath.

He closes the door behind him and looks into the living room, then around the hallway and up at the stairs. He sees right through Norma.

She's frozen in place for a minute and watches him start up the stairs, then snaps out of her trance and goes after him. He seems tired and out of it, moving lethargically. Norma keeps her distance, knowing full-well she can't touch or talk to him.

Dylan stops in front of Norman's open door and stares at it. The bed neatly-made, Juno the dog perched atop his dresser, the photo of the two brothers on his nightstand. His eyes well up and he sniffles and wipes his nose, then steps into the room.

Norma watches him sadly as he opens Norman's drawers and removes a pair of dress pants, a plain button-down shirt, and a striped tie. He moves to the closet and takes out a suit jacket, then bends and grabs a pair of dress shoes. He picks up the clothes and drapes them over his arm, then quickly heads for the door, still sniffling.

As he walks past Norma without acknowledging her presence, she sees his eyes cast downward and his mouth pressed into a wide, flat line. Her heart aches for him, and she wishes he didn't have to deal with this pain. She leans against the railing at the top of the stairs and watches him go. "I'm sorry, Dylan... I should have listened to you," she says to the back of his head.

He hesitates in front of the door and turns his head slightly as if he heard her. Norma doesn't even let herself get her hopes up. He turns away again and reaches for the doorknob, just like she knew he would.

Dylan's phone rings before he has the chance to swing the door shut behind him, and he stops and answers it. "Hey," he says. "Yeah, I got it. I'm leaving now. How's Katie...?" He closes the door and the rest of his words are cut off.


	5. The heavier weight of your body and the earth beneath your feet

Norma lets her head fall back and a breath she didn't know she was holding escapes her. She stares up at the ceiling for a while, then looks back down at the front door, half-hoping Dylan will walk back in and half-wishing he'll never come back. He seems to be gone for the time being, off to the funeral parlor, presumably, with an outfit to lay out Norman in. Norma turns and walks into her room, grabs _Jane Eyre_ off the nightstand, and wearily heads back downstairs.

She hesitates before taking a seat in the living room and moves to the front window. Peaking out, she sees her car at the base of steps but not Dylan's truck. As she lets the curtains fall back into place, Alex and Norman rejoin her.

"What is it?" Alex asks, noting her expression.

She opens her mouth but no words come out.

"Mother?" Norman prompts her.

"I, um... Dylan was just here."

Alex just blinks and Norman turns pale. "What, uh," Norman says. "What did he want?"

Norma frowns and steps toward him. "He picked up one of your outfits."

She lets these words sink in and watches Norman's face crumple. He's thinking of her funeral and imagining a similar funeral for himself, with Dylan giving the eulogy to an empty room. Norma closes the distance between them and folds him into a hug.

She makes eye contact with Alex who frowns sympathetically. His own funeral crosses his mind as well, and he presumes he'll never have one, since no one even knows where his body is. He figures it doesn't matter and tries not to think about the world of the living since it doesn't much apply to him anymore.

Norman pulls away from his mother's embrace and wipes at his nose. "I'm all right," he says. "It's just hard to think about."

"I know, sweetheart," she says.

He sniffles and turns around, glances at Alex, then moves toward the door. "I think I'm going to read some more of the Handbook," he lies. "Learn more about our situation. I'll be in my room."

"Okay."

Norma watches him go, then walks over to Alex and takes his hand and sits down with him.

"How are you feeling?" he asks.

She shrugs. "The way Dylan and I left things wasn't the best." Alex recalls the arguments they had over Norman and assumes the same thing happened with her and Dylan. "I wish I could to tell him he was right about Norman. I mean, he knows he was. Unfortunately..." She looks around the room. "It's done now. He'll be okay, eventually."

"Will you?"

Norma looks at him and attempts a smile. "Yeah, I'm good." She squeezes his hand. "I'm good."

Alex's eyes soften and his mouth relaxes into something that's not quite a smile. Norma lets go of his hand and opens her book. The ticking of the clock becomes audible and Alex finds himself yawning, which earns him a look from his wife. He smirks and she turns her attention away again. He reclines back, resting his head on the arm of the couch and placing his feet in Norma's lap. She doesn't shoot him any more looks, just rests her book on top of him, so he lets his eyes fall shut.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

In the three weeks since Norman's funeral, which they learned about from the newspaper that was still being delivered to the house daily, they managed to watch all of Norma and Norman's favorite old movies, plus some good (and some bad) ones they'd never seen before, read five books collectively, build four puzzles, and play a multi-day game of Monopoly (which Alex won). They'd eaten most of the food in the house, and all that remained were a few random items—a mostly empty bottle of ketchup, a bag of frozen broccoli, half a pound of Swiss cheese—none of which could be combined into a meal.

Norma can tell Alex and Norman are growing restless, but they are both trying their best to conceal it. Norman had asked her several times how could she stand being stuck in here all alone, and each time she changed the subject quickly, so she didn't have to think about Norman at his worst. He doesn't realize that she saw him talking and arguing with "her," that she knows Caleb came back into town and that Norman was still in contact with Chick.

Norman won't admit it, maybe because it's obvious, but he's having a harder time accepting what happened to him and what he did when he wasn't himself. Alex secretly still keeps an eye on him, though now he's more concerned for Norman's state of mind than he is worried about a violent outburst. Norma is understanding of her son's difficulties and willing to listen if he wishes to talk, but Norman pretends nothing is wrong so she does too. It's strange for her to just let him be, but she's giving him space in hopes that their relationship will benefit from it, and Alex is reassuring as always that she's making the right decisions.

Adapting to his mother's marriage and living with Alex is an additional challenge, but Norman is dealing with it much better than when they were alive. He and Alex aren't instant friends, but they're civil and polite to one another. Norman feels comfortable calling him by his first name now. And his own need for some personal space allows his mother and Alex to spend time together as well.

He's currently in the attic trying to find some more books, or anything really, that will provide entertainment. It's early afternoon and he's yet to see the other two occupants of the house, who are presumably still in their bedroom.

After about an hour of rummaging, Norman emerges from the dusty storage space with an old photo album and someone's high school yearbooks from the 60s. In the living room, he finds Norma sitting in a chair, sewing by hand, and Alex looking through a newspaper, feet propped up on the coffee table.

"Oh, hey Norman," Alex says, looking up. "Whatcha got there?"

"Just some things I found in the attic." He sets the yearbooks down and shows the photo album to Alex. "Do you think this belonged to the Summers' family?" he asks.

"Maybe. I can tell you for sure if I see anybody I recognize."

Norma scrunches up her nose and says, "I don't want to see anything with that bastard in it," referring to Keith.

Alex glances over at her, but she's focused on the material in her hands. He remembers sitting in the chair she's sitting in now, not long after they first met, listening to her tell him what Keith did to her. His eyes soften with sadness and then his mouth flattens and he grits his teeth in rising anger at the thought of someone mistreating her so.

Norman hands Alex the book, bringing him back to the present. When he flips it open, he can instantly tell it's older than Keith. The people in the black and white photograph on the first page are dressed in conservative formal wear and stare at the camera with stony faces. "It's okay, Norma," Alex says. "This looks like the Summers circa 1900."

She keeps sewing regardless, and Norman and Alex peruse the photos in silence. When they're about halfway through, Norma sets down the blouse she was mending and goes to join them. No sooner than she sits down, they hear footsteps outside, and it sounds like more than one person.

Norma rises and stands in the doorway while Alex and Norman look on.

"I still say this is too weird," says a female voice none of them have heard in a long time.

"The authorities cleaned everything up," Dylan says, and he opens the second door and steps into the hallway, a cautious-looking Emma behind him, bouncing their daughter in her arms. Norma's mouth falls open and Dylan goes on. "Besides, no one else is going to do this."

"We could let the state take care of the sale," Emma argues.

Alex walks over to stand beside Norma, while Norman is frozen on the couch.

"Emma, please. I need to do this. I told you you don't have to come in."

Emma wordlessly bounces Kate and looks around the foyer. Dylan starts up the stairs, heading for his old room, and after a moment she follows.

Norma blinks up at them, hardly believing that they came back, and that they have a child. Alex places a hand on her back, and she turns to him, mouth still open. Then she faces Norman, who looks just as stunned as she does, and asks, "Did you know about this?"

"Um, no, I... Well, Dylan may have mentioned something about a daughter the night I invited him over for dinner."

"Oh my god," Norma says, not really hearing Norman.

"Good for them," Alex says after a beat.

"Yeah, of course, I'm just... I didn't expect them to have a baby."

"Life is crazy like that," Alex says.

Norma clears her throat and puts her hands on her hips. She stares past Norman, trying to process this new information.

"Do you think they'll really sell the house?" Norman asks. "What... What will we do if they do sell it?"

"I don't know, Norman," Alex answers him. "But we'll figure it out."

Norman knows Alex doesn't have any more of a clue as to what will happen than he does. Still, Alex feels obligated to say something for his and Norma's sake.

Norma returns to her chair and takes up her needle and thread again and says, "We can only wait and see."

Norman tries to pretend like he's unfazed by his brother's appearance, like his mother, who seems pretty uninterested, but fails. Alex has rejoined him on the couch and is once again examining the old photo album, while Norman sits there motionless, not even really looking in the direction of the book. When Dylan and Emma descend the stairs, Norman's head whips around to watch them. He gathers that they're staying at the motel, but he doesn't know how long it will take to sell this house of horrors, if it's even possible, or how much of the process Dylan and Emma need to be present for.

"Mother," he says. It's been a few minutes since they were left alone again.

"Yes?"

"Mother, shouldn't we at least _try_ to let them know we're here somehow? We didn't get the chance to say goodbye properly, and I think there's a lot of things we left unsaid."

"Norman." She sighs and looks at her son with pity. "Honey, any attempts would be in vain. I've tried everything."

"But this is different, they're not sick like—"

"Norman."

He looks down and sighs. "I know. I just wish things were different."

"Me too, honey," she says. Her gaze sweeps over to Alex, who says he's sorry and he knows it's hard. Norman leans back against the couch and blankly stares at his knees. Alex picks up one of the yearbooks.

Norma finishes her sewing before anyone else speaks.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Norman wakes early without consciously meaning to. Before he does anything else, he walks out into the hall to peer out the front window and see if Dylan is still around. His pick-up isn't there at the moment, but Norman spies Emma sitting on a swing with the baby on her lap.

A foggy memory creeps into his mind as he watches his old best friend rock her little girl. Norman is in the holding cell at the police station. He sees Emma's concerned face through the glass. Somehow he knows that she knows he isn't himself. He can't hear what she says, and she seems to leave too soon.

In the present, Norman shakes his head and then turns suddenly when he hears a door open behind him. Norma emerges from her room, wearing one of his favorite dresses, one that he couldn't bear to give away. He admires it without saying a word, so she's startled to see him just as she's about to go downstairs.

"Norman! What are you doing?"

"Just seeing if Dylan and Emma were still around," he says, leaving the window. "They are."

Norma doesn't comment on this. "I was thinking," she says, as Norman joins her on the stairs. She puts her arm through his. "That we could see who could finish a crossword the fastest. I know it's kind of stupid, but you gotta get creative when you're locked up with limited supplies. And it's not a perfect game, because of course we'd have different crosswords from different newspapers, but—"

"I think it's a great idea, Mother."

Norma smiles at him. "You're just saying that."

"No, I'm not. Come on, I'm gonna win, piece of cake!"

Norman runs ahead of her into the living room and grabs the first newspaper he finds.

"Hey, not fair!"

Upstairs, Alex hears them laughing as he's headed to the shower. He still feels like he needs to wash the prison off of him, and plus, it helps him wake up. He adjusts the water to his liking and steps in. He thinks of his older stepson and his young family, trying to imagine what his own little family feels with Dylan's arrival.

Alex realizes that he and Dylan have wives and children they were probably both surprised by, but in a good way. He smiles, thinking that all the misfortunes of his life were worth it to end up here. There may be a little lingering grief for Norma and Norman, but Alex feels good about their future and confident that their pain is, at last, coming to an end.


	6. Infinite versions of what could be

Dylan slides the latch into place and locks the door, then steps over to the window and pulls the curtains closed. Emma lays Kate down on the bed and turns to her suitcase. "Will you watch her? I'm going to take a shower," she says.

"Yeah."

Dylan sits down on the bed beside his daughter while Emma goes into the bathroom and shuts the door. He drops a kiss to Kate's forehead, who watches him with sleepy eyes. The sound of running water fills the otherwise silent motel room. 

With a sigh, Dylan leans back on the mattress and stares up at the ceiling. After a minute or so, he sits up and reaches for the pen and pad of paper on the nightstand. He makes a grocery list then draws a line across the page and starts a list of other things he needs to do. Among them are: clear house of personal items, meet with real estate agent, make copies of Norman's death certificate, collect bills, contact utility companies, and so on.

Emma comes out of the bathroom drying her hair with a towel. Dylan sets the pad back on the nightstand and goes into the bathroom himself. Emma picks up the now sleeping Kate and places her in the portable crib sitting at the foot of the bed. The little room is filled with their luggage and baby things and packing supplies and papers, so there's only a narrow path to walk around in. As Emma sits back against the bed's headboard, her eyes fall upon the cardboard boxes folded flat and the thick roll of tape on the chair in the corner. 

Dylan reappears in sweatpants and a t-shirt. He wordlessly climbs into bed, turns off his bedside lamp, pulls the duvet over him, and rolls onto his side, away from his wife. Emma's made it clear that she doesn't like being here, and so things are a little tense between them. They could pretend they are somewhere else, at any old motel—that's what Dylan suggested and is doing himself. He's felt numb since Norman's funeral and being back in White Pine Bay doesn't help. Everything seems unreal to him. He's going through the motions, trying to sort out the Bates estate quickly and efficiently, so they never have to come back here again.

Emma glances over at him with a frown and slides under the covers herself. She lies still for a moment, then flips over and presses herself against Dylan's back. She winds an arm around his waist, shuts her eyes, and whispers, "Goodnight."

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

The next morning, Dylan runs into town to buy food. Emma and Kate are sitting on the motel porch when he comes back. Emma offers to help him carry the groceries up to the house (where there's a refrigerator and more room to store things, given their room is crowded as is), but Dylan declines. 

He sets the bags down on the kitchen table, and after he puts away the things that need to stay cold, he finds himself trying to remember where they store the various non-perishables. Then he catches himself and piles everything onto the counter, since it doesn't matter. 

Warm light fills the room, making him feel as though it's a regular morning, and Norma is going to walk in in her bathrobe any minute and start brewing coffee. 

Dylan stops to stare at the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room where he held his brother as he died. Then he turns away and moves toward the hallway. Behind him, he hears the sound of a chair scraping against the floor. He looks back and sees a chair pulled out from the table that he didn't notice being out of place before. He decides he only thought he heard something and wonders how he didn't bump into the chair when he walked by.

He makes a trip to the room and grabs boxes and packing tape. Emma straps on a baby carrier and goes back up to the house with him. 

"Do you want to start collecting photographs?" Dylan asks her. 

"Sure."

"Great. I'm gonna find a ladder, I'll be right back."

Dylan disappears into the basement, leaving Emma and Kate alone in the living room. Emma stands motionless in front of the table full of pictures of Norma and Norman, while Kate looks around with pure fascination at her strange new environment. 

In the kitchen, Norma sits at the head of the table with her head in her hands. She hears footsteps coming down the stairs, then Alex call her name from the hallway. "I know," she calls back.

As Alex walks towards the sound of her voice, he nearly runs into Dylan, coming out of the basement. 

"There wasn't anything down there," Dylan says. He pokes his head in the living room. "I'm going to look in the shed, okay?" Norma appears beside Alex as the words leave Dylan's mouth. "Emma?" Dylan asks.

She moves for the first time since he left the room. "Yeah?" she says, looking up at him. "Yeah, okay." She starts unfolding a cardboard box, and Dylan goes outside. 

Norma takes a few steps into the living room to watch Emma, and Alex cautiously follows. Even though Norma has assured him and Norman of the living's inability to see them, he would prefer to keep his distance.

Emma has trouble getting the box open with Kate on her, so she kneels down and undoes the baby carrier and lays Kate on the rug. She finishes her box, takes one last look at the picture table in perfect order, then shoves her emotions down and starts picking up frames. She places them face down in the box. 

Norma steps forward again and looks down at the baby, trying not to think about Emma and Dylan taking away her precious photos. She sits down next to Kate and peers into her chubby little face, while Alex hovers just inside the doorway. 

Emma has cleared the table by the time Dylan returns with a ladder. She stands and asks him, "Did we bring any bubble wrap?" 

Dylan thinks about this for a moment, all eyes on him. "Um. Yeah. Yeah, there should be some in the back of the truck."

"I'll go get it," Emma says and takes the keys he hands her. 

Dylan smiles at Kate, who seems totally content on the floor, and sets up his ladder near one of the tall, glass-enclosed bookcases. He takes a stuffed bird down from its perch atop the bookcase. He sits down next to Kate, and unknowingly, his mother.

"Look at that," he says to his daughter. He holds it over her. "Wow, that's a big bird. Not as big as the fluffy yellow guy, but still." 

Alex smiles a little at the scene before him. Then he glances at Norma, whose eyes are welling up with tears. She sniffles and looks up, sensing him watching. "Big Bird was Dylan's favorite as a kid. Now he has a kid." 

Alex walks over to his wife and extends a hand. "Come here," he says. Norma takes his hand and he pulls her up into a hug. 

Dylan gives no indication he's heard them and continues waving the bird around. Emma returns and laughs a little when she sees him making it fly over their daughter's head. "What are you doing?" she says.

"I'm teaching her a very important lesson in animal science."

"Oh, uh-huh." Dylan hears the smile in her voice rather than sees it.

Norma and Alex stand not two feet away, completely unnoticed. They continue to hold each other as Dylan rises and asks Emma to spot him as he moves the ladder over to another one of Norman's taxidermy pieces.

"I can't spot you and the baby at the same time."

Dylan just laughs and Emma kneels down next to Kate again and starts putting bubble wrap around the picture frames.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Norman wakes to his mother's voice saying his name. He turns his head toward the sound and sees her standing by the door that connects their rooms. "Good morning, Mother."

"Good morning, honey," she says. "I wanted to let you know Emma and Dylan are here, so you're not startled to see them. They're in the living room right now."

Norman sits up in bed. "What are they doing?" He rubs at his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Gathering up some things... Pictures, your taxidermy. Our clothes probably."

Norman yawns and then throws off his blankets. "Well, I'm not wearing pajamas forever," he says, getting up. Norma laughs and suggests he hide a few of his favorite outfits, that's what she's going to do, then she leaves him to change. 

She saves a mint green floral patterned dress, a white dress with blue flowers, two blouses, a skirt, and a pair of pants. For Alex, she selects two button-downs, two t-shirts, some jeans, and out of sentiment, his police uniform. She brushes her hand over the pocket where she found her wedding ring and smiles at the diamond now back in its rightful place.

Norma thinks for a moment about the best place to put the clothes and decides that under the mattress will do. Clothes hidden, she heads back downstairs and as she closes the door to her room behind her, she looks up to see Dylan step foot onto the second floor. The door shuts with a thud louder than she anticipated and she winces. Dylan's head snaps up, looking toward the sound of the noise, she knows, but it seems like he's looking right at her. 

Norma doesn't budge, waiting for Dylan to make the next move. His eyes are wide as he takes hesitant steps towards her. He's halfway there when Norman comes out of his room and shuts his door audibly. 

Dylan jumps and backs up against the banister. Now Norman stares at him too, shocked into stillness. None of them know what to do. 

Eventually, Dylan swallows and walks up to Norman's door. Norman shuffles out of the way, and for the first time notices his mother standing in the hallway. He turns his attention back to Dylan, and he and Norma watch Dylan slowly grab the doorknob. 

He suddenly swings the door open and inspects the empty room without stepping inside. Norma walks over to Norman, whose gaze is locked on his brother. He takes a breath and says, "Dylan." 

Dylan just shakes his head and says under his breath, "God, I'm losing it."

"We're right here, Dylan," Norman says, but he doesn't hear. He enters Norman's room and goes straight for the closet. 

Norma and Norman turn as Emma comes upstairs. She holds two flat cardboard boxes and bubble wrap in her hands. Kate is strapped to her chest again. Emma gives one of the boxes to Dylan and then starts taking down the pictures hanging in the hallway.

"Come on," Norma says, tugging at Norman's arm.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Norma takes Norman's silence for shock, but in reality his mind is reeling, trying to reconcile what happened upstairs with what his mother told him about the living. After half an hour, frustrated, he blurts out, "It just doesn't make sense!"

This sets Alex on edge, instantly reverting back to his default settings of sheriff and protector. His jaw hardens and his eyes sharpen, and he's ready to jump up at any moment, if he has to. Norma, however, just blinks at her son.

"He heard us," Norman continues. "Dylan heard us upstairs. He did! You saw it. So it's possible that the living can hear us, that he and maybe Emma can hear us. We just need to try harder to get their attention!"

Norma sighs. "He only heard us slamming doors, and even when the living do hear or see us, it doesn't seem to be for very long."

"How do you know? How do you know Dylan's not different? I'm telling you, Mother, there's something there. There's got to be."

Norma gets up from her seat on the couch and walks over to Norman, sitting in a chair by the front window. "Honey, just because you want something to be true doesn't mean it actually is."

Norman doesn't accept this. "You're wrong, Mother. I know you're wrong. I know you're more experienced at this, but Dylan is different." He stands up and brushes past her and goes upstairs. 

Alex breaks the silence Norman has left in his wake. "Don't worry," he says. "He'll get over this. He just needs to grieve in his own way."

Norma rejoins him on the couch. She cuddles up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I hope so," she says.

Alex hugs her, rubbing a hand up and down her back, which always seems to do the trick to get her to calm down. "It'll pass. And even if it doesn't, he won't have any choice but to forget about it when they leave."

She doesn't say "you're right" and doesn't have to. They both know that when Dylan and Emma are gone, Norman in all his stubbornness won't be able to do anything, shut up in this house. But until then...

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

With the walls of the house bare and the closets emptied, Emma suggests they stop and eat lunch. It's a nice day for February, so they take their plates out to the porch and sit down on the steps. 

"I'll take another look around, but I think we got everything we really need from here..." Dylan says, in between bites. "Now I just have to take care of the business end of things."

Emma spoons food into Kate's mouth and says, "That's good," distractedly.

Dylan looks down at the motel, over at his wife, then up the road. "You know," he starts. "It might be easier to move into my old room, just so we don't have to come up here every time we want to eat." Emma doesn't say anything and he doesn't look at her. "I think the house basically looks the way that Norma bought it now. I mean, it wouldn't be so weird..."

He takes a peek at Emma out of the corner of his eye. Her eyes are big and serious and he has his answer. 

"It's only a suggestion," he says.

Behind them, Norman sits in the open doorway with a lump in his throat. If they're barely in the house, it will be nearly impossible to get through to them. And since he's only been able to spook Dylan so far, he might as well call that bio-exorcist that he read about in the Handbook for the Recently Deceased.

Dylan stands, finished with his lunch. He tells Emma he'll take the boxes back to their room, and Norman moves out of the way to let him pass. Emma stays a little while, picking at her food, but has to get up when Kate starts fussing. 

Dylan reappears and Emma follows him down to the motel. Norman watches them go, at a loss for what to do next.


	7. Only as important as the chance of you being there with me

The next day they don't get any company except for a brief visit from Dylan. He grabs enough food for two meals and is on his way.

Norman is distant and shuts himself up in his room so he can think in peace, and he's surprised but grateful that no one disturbs him.

Downstairs, Alex is trying to convince Norma to play a new card game with him. "You'll like this one, Norma. It's more about strategy than luck."

She snorts. "I doubt that. And besides, you have more experience than I do, so I'd still stink."

"I'll go easy on you."

Norma cuts her eyes at him. "Don't do me any favors," she says playfully, and turns her attention back to her book. She's moved on to _Sense and Sensibility_.

Alex makes a face that's almost a pout, which Norma sees in her peripheral vision. She lays a hand on his knee and squeezes it. Alex looks away from her and shuffles the deck of cards in his hands. He sets himself up for a game of Solitaire. When he loses, he shuffles and tries again. He almost wins on his fourth attempt, but ultimately has to give up.

He puts the cards away and turns to his wife. "Norma?"

"Yes, honey."

"Do you want to do something together?"

"Like what?" she asks, flipping a page.

Alex doesn't say anything, just smiles at her, so she has to look up at him. She gives a little laugh and glances at her watch. "It's three in the afternoon."

"So?"

He places his hands on her waist and presses a kiss to her neck. Norma lets her head fall back and sets her book aside. "Okay," she says with a sigh.

Alex grins against her skin and then kisses her on the lips. Her hands come up to graze over his face, neck, shoulders, and back again, while one of his hands slides down to her thigh. She hums into his mouth approvingly.

Alex breaks off to whisper in her ear, "Better than Jane Austen?"

Norma shivers. Then, in one swift motion, she pushes him onto his back and climbs on top of him. Alex's eyes flash with excitement, and when he grabs her ass, Norma bites her lip and grinds her hips into him.

She leans down to continue kissing him, and Alex trails his hands up and down her back. Norma presses her lips to the underside of his jaw and nips at his earlobe. When she pulls away a little and starts to ease his shirt off, he lets go of her to sit up and pull it over his head.

Norma slides off his lap so he can take off his pants, but instead of undressing, Alex pins her against the couch and kisses her with hunger. Slowly, he kisses his way down her neck while he hitches her dress up.

Norma lifts her hips and Alex deftly pulls her underwear down. She kicks off her panties and reaches for his belt, but Alex gently pushes her back. He sits back on his heels and looks up at her, then takes one of her legs and drapes it over his shoulder.

She gasps as he places his mouth on her sex, clutching at the couch cushions. Alex teases her with his tongue, running it in circles around her clit but never quite hitting the right spot. Norma throws her other leg over him and rocks her hips against his face.

Grinning, Alex takes hold of her waist to steady her, then presses his nose against her clit and plunges his tongue into her folds. Norma cries out, fingers digging into the couch. She grabs him by the back of the head, tugging on his hair as she squirms underneath him. With one final jerk of her hips, her orgasm washes over her.

She sinks back into the couch, letting go of Alex's hair. He smiles at her and gets up from the floor to sit next to her. He wraps one arm around her and buries his face in her neck, listening to her heavy breathing. Norma lays one arm over his and winds her other arm around his shoulders. When she calms down, she takes his face in her hands and kisses him.

Then she beams and says, "Your turn."

She leans in to kiss him for a moment longer and he reclines back on the pillows. Norma unfastens his belt and jeans without looking and eases them down just enough so she can reach into his boxers. Alex is already hard and painfully so it seems, by the way he groans at the slightest touch. Norma gingerly takes him into her mouth, reveling in his labored breathing. She doesn't play around, gradually increasing her pace and never slowing. He finishes within seconds.

Panting, Alex pulls her on top of him and holds her against his chest. He kisses the top of her head, making her smile with content.

"Yes," she says, out of nowhere.

"What?"

"Better than Jane Austen," she says, and they both laugh.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

A few hours later, Norman comes into the living room, looking for something to do. He can hear his mother and Alex talking in the kitchen. Instead of going straight in to meet them, he walks over to the front window and looks out. No sign of Dylan, Emma, or the baby.

"Hey, Norman," his mother says as he enters the room. "Do you want to learn a new card game? Alex keeps trying to get me to play with him and won't leave me alone."

Alex shoots her a look and says, "You're just being difficult." He turns to Norman. "What else is new, right?" he jokes. Norma smacks him on the arm.

Norman gives him a small smile and sits down at the table. "How do you play?" he asks.

"Finally!" Alex says. "It's really pretty simple, it can just seem like a lot of rules to begin with. It's about luck, of course, but there's some strategy to it as well..." He proceeds to explain 500 Rum, and then deals him and Norman each a practice hand.

Norman wins, either with beginner's luck or because Alex is taking it easy on him. "Ah! Way to go, Norman!" Norma says, patting his arm. "You have to redeem me against our resident card shark."

Norman tries to hide his smile while he gathers the cards to shuffle them and start a real game. After a few rounds, Norma says, "Okay, this doesn't seem too hard after all."

"I told you," Alex says.

They continue to banter and Norman zones out, watching the cards as Alex shuffles. In the distance, he thinks he hears movement in another part of the house. His head whips up and Alex and Norma stop talking.

"What is it, honey?" his mother asks.

Norman doesn't say anything and they all listen. Dylan walks into the dining room, headed towards them. Norman sees him first and hastily stands up. Norma and Alex follow suit. Alex holds the deck in his hand, but the paper and pen they were keeping score with remains on the table. When Dylan comes in, all he sees is three chairs pulled out and the score pad lying there.

A chill passes over him. The other day, he was able to ignore the single chair out of place. But after hearing noises upstairs, and now seeing this—when he _knows_ that he didn't leave the house like this—

Dylan swallows thickly. He shakes his head and steps over to the table to read what's on the paper. Alex and Norman's names at the top, with two columns of numbers below them.

He can't stop his eyes from filling with tears. He knows they never got along, especially not well enough to play games together. Dylan shakes his head again and takes an uneven breath. He steps back toward the doorway he came in through, while his deceased family members watch him from the other doorway.

"This isn't happening... This can't be happening," Dylan says, barely audible.

"Dylan, it's okay," Norman says, taking a half-step forward. "Don't be afraid."

Dylan doesn't give any indication he heard, but he looks around and addresses the room. "I'm probably going crazy," he says. "But if you're here somehow, if you can hear me..." He trails off.

"Dylan! We're right here," Norman says, louder this time. He turns and says, "Help me!" to his parents, then calls Dylan's name again.

Norma looks at Alex pleadingly. He shrugs and turns toward Dylan. "Dylan, don't be scared," he says.

Norma sighs and thinks, what the hell. "Dylan. Dylan, honey. Dylan, it's okay."

Much to their surprise, he looks up toward the sound of their combined voices. He can't be sure, but he thinks he can make out his name.

"Dylan!" Norman exclaims, filled with hope. He steps closer to his brother. "Dylan, please don't be frightened. We're not going to hurt you."

Dylan hears the first part of what he's said, his ears getting progressively better. He inhales deeply and says, "Norman?"

"It's me, Dylan."

"I don't believe this is happening." In the back of his mind, he hears Norman's voice telling him, "If you believe hard enough, then you can make it that way," from the last time they spoke, in this very room.

In the present, Norma steps forward and says, "Dylan. It's okay."

His head turns sharply toward the sound of his mother's voice. "Norma?"

"Yes. We're here. Alex is here too." She reaches for her husband's hand and Alex takes it.

"Hello, Dylan," he says.

"I don't—" Dylan puts his hands on his head. "This isn't possible," he says, even though he believes more by the second.

"I know it's crazy," Norma says. "I don't know how we're here, either."

"Why—why can't I see you?"

"I don't know," she replies. "You couldn't hear us at first. Maybe you'll start to see us soon." Dylan looks up at the ceiling and sighs. "Do you want to sit down?"

"Yeah, sure," he says, and walks over to the table and pulls out the last chair for himself. There's silence for a moment while everyone settles down in their seats. Then Dylan asks, "Who's where?"

Norman answers, "I'm on your left, Mother is on your right, and Alex is across from you."

"Ask us anything," Norma says.

Dylan takes another deep breath. "God. Um..."

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Dylan excuses himself after about an hour, grabbing items for dinner, which was what he was doing there in the first place.

"What took you so long?" Emma asks when he comes back to their room.

"Sorry," he says, closing the door behind him. He sets the food down on the bed.

"Well?"

"I, uh, got distracted looking for some things I thought I left in the basement."

Emma narrows her eyes at him. She knows when he's lying to her, because he hardly ever does it. She doesn't question him further, though. He may have needed some alone time and doesn't want to discuss it.

They eat without talking much. Dylan feels out of sorts, having just had a conversation with three dead people. He's quiet for the rest of the night. He plays with Kate and reviews the things his family told him in his mind over and over again.

When he puts Kate to bed, he stands over her crib, watching her. He decides that no matter how strange it is, he's been given a second chance with his mother and brother, and he can't ignore this opportunity.

"Emma?"

"Yeah?"

Dylan sits down on the bed next to her and stares at his hands, trying to figure out how he should say what he's about to say.

"What, Dylan?"

"This is—this is gonna sound ridiculous, but it's the truth. And you know I like to be honest with you."

"Yeah..." Emma says, warily.

"Norma, and Norman, and Romero... are still in the house."

Emma is quiet for a moment, then asks, "What do you mean?", remembering what he told her about Norma's exhumed body.

Dylan meets her eyes. "They're—I don't know how—but they're living there. Well, not living, obviously," he corrects himself. "They're inhabiting it."

Emma doesn't know how to react, so she just waits for him to go on.

"A few days ago, I thought I heard something move in the kitchen. Then yesterday, when I went to pack up Norman and Norma's clothes, I heard two doors slam shut. And before, when I went to get dinner, I saw three chairs out of place in the kitchen. And I... I spoke to them."

"Dylan..." Emma says, pity in her voice. She started to believe him a little when he mentioned the doors upstairs, having heard them too, but doesn't believe dead people talk anyone, and tells him so.

Dylan reaches into his pocket and pulls out the piece of paper Alex and Norman were keeping score on. Emma studies it for a minute, then shakes her head. "It has to be leftover from when they were living there."

"No, you don't understand. They were never that friendly with one another. And I know that I didn't leave anything lying around the kitchen. This is recent, Emma."

She turns away from him, not interested in whatever game he's playing with her. "You know, Dylan, I came here to support you and to help you sort out the legal issues. I could have just as easily stayed home with Katie."

"I'm not making this up! I would't do that," Dylan says, shocked and hurt.

"Goodnight," Emma says, and turns off the light on her side of the bed.

Dylan sits there with his mouth hanging open as she gets under the covers. She can feel him staring at her but refuses to look at him. Eventually, he turns off the other lamp and climbs into bed as well.

Emma lets out a breath and finds herself holding back tears. She's not sure why she's so upset. She tells herself that Dylan was just trying to get a rise out of her with a dumb joke. The problem is he sounded far too serious.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

As Dylan approaches the house, he feels his stomach tighten with anxiety. His excuse for visiting is to make an inventory of the furniture, which the real estate agent he met with advised him to do. But he wants to try to talk to Norma and Norman and Alex again; he knows it and Emma knows it, though she doesn't say anything. She doesn't want to engage in the subject.

Dylan digs into his pocket for his keys as he reaches the door, then hesitates and rings the doorbell instead. He doesn't have to wait long—after a moment, he hears the lock sliding back in the mechanism and then the door swings open. He stares at the empty doorway for a few seconds before the hints of a person start to come into focus. It's like looking through fog, except his vision doesn't clear up when he steps closer. He has to wait for the fog to lift on its own.

"Hello, Dylan," Norman says.

"Hey." He blinks and squints, trying to see better. "I can kind of see you," he says. "I think Norma was right, it'll get better with time."

Norman smiles, happy to know that he was right to have faith in his brother. "Come in," he tells him, standing aside.

Dylan watches the pale haze of Norman shift from its place in the doorway and steps inside.

"Mother, it's Dylan," Norman calls. As if someone else would be visiting them.

Dylan looks around, searching for her, before he spots some movement on the stairs. "Dylan," she says brightly, becoming slightly more solid as she steps up to him. "Back so soon?"

"Yeah, um." He clears his throat. "I was just gonna look around, see what all's here. I was told it was a good idea."

"Hey, Dylan," Alex says, walking into foyer from another room.

Dylan nods at his shape, looking where he hopes Alex's eyes are. "This is still weird," he says.

Norma laughs a little. "You'll get used to it," she tells him.

A silence falls over them then—no one wants to talk about selling the house. Dylan is still planning on it, he thinks, but he's not certain he should anymore. He attempts a smile and steps into the living room, pulling a Bates Motel pad out of his back pocket. He writes down couch, four chairs, piano...

"Dylan," Norman says, following close behind him. "Did you... Did you tell Emma about us?"

Dylan avoids his brother's gaze, pretending to look around the room. "Uh, yeah."

"What did she say?"

He continues scribbling on his note pad, acting like he didn't hear.

"Dylan. What did Emma say?" Norma asks.

"She didn't believe me, okay?" He looks up toward his mother's shape, then quickly away again, imagining the displeasure on her face rather than actually seeing it. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she tells him.

Dylan sighs and sits down on the couch. "We've been arguing since Norman's trial. She doesn't like being back here. And she's angry about what happened to her mother... And you..." He puts his head in his hands.

Norma sits next to him, while Alex and Norman stand back, each for his own reasons. Norma gently rests a hand on Dylan's arm, and when he looks up he can see her more clearly than before. He feels like he needs glasses, but he can see her facial features, her hair, her clothes. Against his will, he finds himself beginning to cry. His hug surprises her, and it feels so good to hold him that she starts to cry too.

When they pull away from each other, she says, "Dylan, I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you when you tried to get Norman help. You were right, and I was too stubborn to see it." He just nods, still teary, to let her know he accepts her apology.

Norman steps forward, feeling as though they forgot he was there and painfully awkward for existing. Dylan looks up when he nears, and Norma turns as well. "Could you tell her I'm sorry? Emma. Please tell her I'm sorry."

"I'll try, Norman," Dylan promises. "But I really don't think she'll take me seriously."

"Tell her..." Norman thinks for a second. "Tell her that I wasn't myself. Make her understand. Tell her I remember her coming to the police station, and that if I said anything to her, that wasn't me. I was trapped somewhere else."

"Okay, Norman. I will."

"Thank you."

Alex moves from his place near the doorway and speaks up then. "Do you think Emma would be more likely to believe you if she saw something that proved we're here?"

Dylan shakes his head. "I tried showing her the paper you were using to play cards with, and she insisted it had to be old."

"Well, maybe if you could get her to come back up here..." Alex says.

"I don't know."

"Okay, just trying to help."

"I know. Thanks, Romero. I mean—Alex."

Alex smiles at him and sits on the arm of the couch by Norma. As he does so, the clock chimes, counting off to six. "Would you like to have dinner with us?" Norman asks.

"We ate early, but feel free to have some if you want," Dylan says.

Norman hides his disappointment. "Okay, thank you."

Dylan gives him a half-smile and stands. "I should probably finish up here," he says, gesturing with his note pad. "And get back down to the motel. Katie has started teething."

Norma's breath hitches, but only Alex notices. Dylan walks out of the room with Norman behind him, and Alex turns to his wife. He lays a hand on her shoulder. They share an understanding look, then Norma rises and heads toward the kitchen.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

"Well, I'm officially out of clothes," Emma says. She lets her suitcase fall shut and bends to grab the heap of dirty laundry off the floor.

"I'm almost out too," Dylan says. "I've been meaning to do some laundry..." He trails off, mind focused on the papers in front of him. The bed is scattered with bills and legal documents.

Emma sighs, "Well, I'll do it."

Dylan looks up. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It needs done."

Dylan feels like she's almost daring him to say something from the tone in her voice. They hadn't discussed the house or its occupants since he tried to talk to her about it several nights ago. He didn't even try to give her Norman's message, though he promised he would. He's been trying not to piss her off any more than she already is. And he doesn't have the energy to try to convince her that his dead family members are still hanging around after spending his days running around, sorting out business matters.

"Okay, thanks," he says.

"I'll take the baby with me."

Emma throws their clothes in one of the extra cardboard boxes, straps Kate into her carrier, and heads up to the house. Halfway there, she stops to take a breather and looks up at the Bates' home.

She pushes down the fear that rises in her throat and makes it hard to swallow. She continues on, refusing to let Dylan get in her head. Over the past few days, she's repeatedly heard him in her head saying he wasn't lying to her and repeatedly shoved the memory away. Life after death doesn't exist, she tells herself. Not in the way he described.

Nothing seems amiss when she steps inside, so she calms down a little. She puts their clothes in the laundry and then takes Kate into the living room.

Upstairs, Norman is reading in his room. Alex and Norma are napping, but Norma stirs upon hearing the washing machine start up its cycle. She rubs at her eyes and checks her watch. Careful not to wake Alex, she slips out of bed and goes downstairs to see who's there.

She's surprised to find Emma and Kate alone. Emma has picked up the old photo album Norman found and is looking through it, trying to point out things to Kate. Norma watches them with sad smile. She walks around the room, keeping her distance, and sits in a chair opposite the couch.

After a while, Emma gives up on Kate, who's more interested in her surroundings. The piano catches her attention first, and she holds out her arms, little fingers grasping at the air.

Emma takes her over and lets her touch it. She doesn't like it when Emma plays some notes, recoiling from the strange noises. "Oh!" Emma says, laughing. "I'm not _that_ bad." Norma laughs too, and Kate turns her head toward the sound. It appeals to her much more than the piano.

Norma freezes, feeling like she's been caught doing something she shouldn't have been. At first she thinks maybe it's just a coincidence, but the baby continues to stare at her. She reaches out for Norma, wanting to be held by this interesting new woman with the kind face.

"What?" Emma says. She can't figure out what Kate is looking at.

Norma stands, thinking she should leave, and Kate tilts her head back and lifts her arms insistingly. "Oh, sweetie," Norma says. She gently touches the baby's head, brushing aside some wispy hairs, then lets her hand fall and forces herself to walk away.

Kate protests, but Norma doesn't look back. Emma sits there stunned into silence. It seems like Kate is watching something, someone, move about, though they are alone in the room.

Kate strains against her mother's hold on her, wishing to be put down, so Emma sets her on the floor, and she starts crawling after Norma. She stops when she gets to the hallway, looking around, trying to find her.

Emma's heart beat speeds up as she goes to join her daughter. She scoops Kate up off the floor, and from her new vantage point in her mother's arms, she catches sight of Norma at the top of the stairs.

She squeals with excitement and points, and Norma stops and turns toward the sound. Emma still can't see what her baby's looking at, but she stares hard at the spot where Kate's pointing. Norma swallows, feeling the weight of Emma's scrutinizing gaze, though she's sure that Emma can't actually see her.

Neither of the women know how long they stand there. But when Emma finally turns away, she can't shake the strange feeling that something important just happened.


	8. Heaven cannot compare to the sanctuary that is you

Emma absent-mindedly bounces Kate in her arms. She alternates between standing in one place, swaying from side to side, and pacing the hallway. 

Kate is a little confused but otherwise unaware of her mother's distress. The washing machine buzzes, snapping Emma out of her trance. She sets Kate down, puts the laundry in the dryer, and picks up the baby again. She heads for the door and briskly makes her way back down to the motel.

Dylan looks up when she enters and immediately realizes something's wrong. 

"What?" Emma starts pacing and bouncing Kate again. "What is it? Emma, what?"

"I don't know—I don't—"

"Emma, what happened?" Dylan says, getting up off the bed. He takes her by the shoulders to get her to stop moving and look at him.

She studies his concerned face, wide blue eyes imploring her to speak.

Finally, she says, "I think I owe you an apology."

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Dylan opens the door for Emma, who steps inside slowly. Her heart hammers against her chest and she holds Kate close like a security blanket. She stands in the middle of the foyer, looking upwards.

Dylan steps up next to her and places his arm around her shoulders. Emma looks over at him, bottom lip caught between her teeth, and he nods at her. "It's okay," he says softly. Then he calls out his mother's name, then his brother's and Alex's.

Emma takes a deep breath. She hears distant footsteps approach, but can't see anyone at the top of the stairs.

Dylan smiles when Norma appears, followed closely by Alex. "Hey," Dylan says. "Could you come down here, please?"

They oblige without a word. Norman comes out of his room when they're halfway down the stairs and greets his brother happily. "Dylan!" He starts to descend the stairs, then stumbles when he sees Emma and the baby. 

Norma and Alex stop and turn, but he doesn't acknowledge them, eyes locked on his former best friend. "Emma," he breathes.

Dylan checks to see if she heard, but she returns his look with a puzzled one. "What?" she asks. 

Dylan shakes his head slightly and turns back to his non-living family. "Come over here," he says to them. 

Norma stands in front of Emma and Norman walks up to his brother. Alex hovers off to Norma's side, out of the way but there if she needs him.

Dylan tries to smile at Norma and Norman, but he's nervous on Emma's behalf. "They're standing right in front of us," he tells his wife.

"Hi," she says, warily. 

"Hi, Emma," Norma says, but the younger woman doesn't hear her.

"Emma," Norman tries. "Emma, it's me, Norman. Your friend."

She turns toward the sound of his voice, having caught a snippet of his words. "What?" she asks, barely audible.

"It's me," he says again. "It's Norman. Your friend."

"Norman," she says.

"Emma, I'm so sorry, about everything."

She exhales a shaky breath. 

"He is. Really," Dylan chimes in. "He didn't know what he was doing."

"That wasn't me." 

Emma is at a loss for words. The only thing she can do is stare in his direction, eyes wide and filling with tears.

"It's okay," Norma says.

Kate turns in Emma's arms when Norma speaks. They both look toward Norma, the baby's face lighting up.

"Hi, honey," Norma says to Kate. 

"She can see you," Alex says, and she turns to look at him next, and his mouth falls open. Norma smiles at her husband and grabs a hold of his arm. 

Emma watches Kate look between the two of them. Dylan feels his chest tighten, and he grins so wide he thinks his face is going to split open, but he can't help it.

"We'll have to think of names to call you," Norman says, looking at his parents. 

"What?" Norma says.

"You know, some form of grandma and grandpa."

Norma laughs and rolls her eyes, and Alex blinks, still stunned by Kate's ability to see them. 

The baby looks at Norman then, noticing him for the first time. He smiles at his niece and says hello. 

"This is your Uncle Norman," Dylan says. He takes her out of Emma's arms and holds her up to Norman, waving her arm for her.

Norman laughs and asks, "How are you?" Kate scans his face, staring at him with awe.

A sob catches in Emma's throat, and all the adults turn their attention towards her. "This is real," she says. "This is really real."

"It's real," Dylan says. 

She smiles at him and sniffles. Then she hugs him and rests her head on his shoulder. 

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Dylan and Emma agree to spend the night at the house at Norman's request. Emma talks with him most, trying to understand his past behavior from his point of view, and he promises to give her all the space and time she needs to process her thoughts and feelings. Dylan, Norma, and Alex are all proud of him for this show of maturity.

Kate starts to fall asleep in her mother's arms around nine, so Emma says goodnight to everyone and takes her upstairs. Dylan retrieves her crib from the motel then stays up a while longer, drinking decaf coffee with Norma and Alex. Norman doesn't care for it and excuses himself, claiming he had too much excitement for the day. 

"I'm so glad Emma has come around," Norma says, leaning back against Alex on the couch. 

Dylan takes a sip of coffee and sets his mug down on the table. "Me too. I never thought I could convince her."

"Seeing is believing," Alex muses.

"It sure is," Dylan replies, laughing a little. He watches his mother and Alex smile at each other and thinks he's never seen her this happy. He couldn't say when he last felt this happy himself.

"So, do you think you're going to stay around much longer?" Alex asks.

"I don't know... I would like to," Dylan says, glancing at his mother. She gazes back at him, trying to conceal how much she wishes he would move back to White Pine Bay, but he can read the look on her face. "I took a leave of absence from work, and I probably shouldn't be gone longer than a month. And even though Emma knows you're here now, and that everything is okay, there's no telling whether or not that will change her mind about this place... It holds a lot of bad memories." Dylan picks up his mug and takes a long drink, finishing his coffee.

"You better come visit, at least," Norma says.

Dylan smiles at her. "We will, Mom." A grin spreads across her face and she rises and goes over to him to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. 

"I'm going to bed," she announces. "Goodnight, Dylan."

"Goodnight," he says.

"I'll be up soon," Alex tells her, and she leaves the two men alone. "Finished with that?" Alex asks, indicating Dylan's coffee cup. 

"Yeah, I'll get it."

Alex grabs Norma's cup and takes a sip at the last of his coffee as he stands, then he and Dylan go into the kitchen to deposit their dishes in the sink. "The reason I was asking about your plans," Alex begins. "Is because I wanted to ask you for a favor."

"Sure, what do you need?"

Alex clears his throat and leans back against the counter. "Well, I think you figured out that Norman killed me." 

Dylan grits his teeth. "Yeah, I thought as much."

"I had asked him to take me to your mother... Out in the woods, off Route 101. Um." Alex swallows and presses on. "My body's still there, and I'd like someone to put it in a cemetery, where it belongs." 

Dylan nods and lays a hand on Alex's shoulder sympathetically. "I'll take care of it," he says.

"Thank you, Dylan."

The younger man gives him a close-lipped smile and leaves the room. Alex watches him for a second before a thought pops into his head. He pushes himself away from the counter and goes to the basement. He hadn't even thought to check on the duffel bag of money from Bob Paris, but he finds it right where he left it. He grabs a two stacks of cash and hides the bag again. 

Back upstairs in the kitchen, he finds a piece of paper and writes on it, "For burial arrangements — keep the change," along with a set of directions. He leaves the note and the money outside Dylan's door.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Alex finds Norma waiting for him, lounging on the bed on her side, with one hand supporting her head and the other resting on her thigh. She smiles at him and bites her lip. Alex returns her suggestive look, shutting the door softly behind him. 

He takes a few steps into the room and starts undressing as he continues to stare at his wife. When he's down to his underwear, Norma pulls her robe aside to expose her naked body. Alex rids himself of his boxers and goes and sits on the bed next to her.

Norma tilts her head up to meet his lips, grabbing his face to pull him down to her and rolling onto her back. Alex lets his hands trail over her body freely, fingertips ghosting across her skin, never lingering anywhere for long. 

Norma can feel the muscles in his shoulders and back flex beneath her hands. She cradles his hips between her legs, holding him in one place as they kiss long and slow, no haste in their movements.

Alex pushes Norma's robe aside and it easily slides off her shoulders. She frees her arms one at a time, then weaves one hand into his hair and runs the other down the line of his spine.

"Norma," he mumbles into her mouth. 

She merely hums in response. 

Alex pulls away to look at her. "Didn't I tell you it was all gonna be okay in the end?"

She laughs softly and stares up at him with love in her eyes. She takes hold of his face in her hands and says, "You're always right. I don't know how, but you are."

Alex smiles down at her and his lips descend upon hers once more. Norma guides him off of her and onto the bed, laying across his chest as she continues to kiss him. He holds her against him, wrapping his arms around her as tightly as he can. Then she hitches one leg up around his waist and presses her hips into his, the heat radiating from between her legs getting him fully hard in a matter of seconds.

He smooths a hand over her thigh and the curve of her ass, pulling her even closer. She breaks away from his mouth and her warm breath hits his face as she hovers above him, readjusting her position so he can slip inside of her.

A sigh escapes him when she takes him in, and she starts writhing atop him before he can get his thoughts straight. Returning to his senses, he turns them over and places his mouth on her collar bone, inhaling the scent of her skin.

He begins to match her movements, kissing her neck and breasts as he does so. She sighs his name, eyes falling shut. Alex grabs her by the waist and gradually increases their tempo until he can no longer stand it.

He groans with the effort to hold on and plants his hands on the mattress to steady himself. Norma holds him by the wrists, panting and shuddering as she approaches her climax. Alex slows for a moment, making her whine in protest, and then he corrects his position ever so slightly so he can hit the sensitive spot inside her. She cries out and tightens her grip on him, trembling violently for a few seconds before her body stills. Alex lets himself go with a deep moan, and drops his forehead to Norma's when he's done.

Norma's eyes flutter open and Alex lifts his head to meet her gaze. She grins at him and brightly tells him, "I love you."

He mirrors her smile and says, "I love you, too," kissing her softly before settling down on the bed beside her.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

In the morning, Dylan wakes before anyone else. As he opens the door of his room on his way to make coffee, he stumbles over the pile of money waiting for him. His eyes widen when they fall on the stacks of cash and he snatches them up quickly. He fans through one, watching the hundred dollar bills flash before his eyes. Then he catches sight of the note Alex left and crouches down to the floor to read it. 

When he's done, he stands and slips the money into the back pocket of his jeans. He folds the note up as he starts down the stairs, wondering where Alex got so much money, though he's not entirely surprised he has it. 

He stops in the kitchen to start a pot of coffee and then hurries down to his motel room. He finds his leather jacket and puts the cash in the inner pockets. Then he sticks the directions in his wallet and puts that in his jeans and heads back to the house. 

Norma is just pouring herself some coffee when he walks into the kitchen. She greets him warmly and asks if he's going out, seeing him all dressed. Dylan hopes the money isn't too noticeable in his jacket pockets and steps around her to get a cup of coffee.

"I just have a few errands to do," he tells her.

"Okay," she says, watching him for a moment. They both take a drink and Dylan pretends to be interested in the food on the counter, even though he's eager to get out of there. "Dylan?" his mother asks. 

Mid-sip, he wordlessly turns to look at her.

"Do you think you could pick something up for me while you're out? I'd give you money."

Dylan nearly chokes on his drink, but hides it well. "Uh, yeah, what do you need?"

Norma ducks her head, trying to contain her smile, and tells him what she wants. "You can take a guess at the size, I think it's probably about the same as yours."

"Alright," Dylan says, and looks at her over his mug while he takes another sip. She assumes he's waiting for her to give him the money.

"Wait here a minute," she says and leaves the room. He obeys, finishing his coffee by the time she returns. "Alex got a lot of money from Bob Paris," Norma says, handing him another stack, which he hesitantly accepts. "He didn't know what to do with it, and now that we're dead—" She laughs. "—we don't have much use for it. So you can keep whatever's left over, okay?"

Dylan surprises her with a hug. A smile spreads across her face as he thanks her, then he detaches himself and makes a hasty exit.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

A few days later, the weather is surprisingly warm again. Emma and Norman take Kate out to the porch to play with her, though Norman can't do much but sit in the doorway. Norma and Alex are inside watching _Dick Van Dyke_ on Norman's laptop, and they can hear the baby's laughter and snippets of conversation through the open window.

"What would you have named her if she was a boy?" Norman asks. He sits cross-legged with Kate in his lap, who looks up at him as she sucks on her fingers.

Emma lifts her eyes to Norman's face to answer his question. He still looks blurry to her, but her vision is getting better each day. "We couldn't agree on any boy names," she says. "I liked Henry, John, Aaron. Dylan liked Michael, David." She shakes her head. "Michael Massett? Too many M's. And David? I could never call him Dave, or Davey, blegh." She sticks out her tongue and Norman laughs.

Just then, Dylan pulls into the parking lot, returning from more errands he neglected to speak about at length. "Katie," Emma says, excitedly. "Daddy's back!" Her little face brightens at the name, and she looks around for her father. Emma gets up and takes her from Norman, walking over to the edge of the porch and pointing to Dylan.

"Hi, sweetheart," he says to her when he reaches the porch. He drops a kiss to the top of her head, then kisses Emma. "Hey, Norman. Where's Mom and Alex?"

"In the living room," his brother answers.

Dylan goes inside without another word. Kate waves her arms and pouts after him, but Emma can tell he's on a mission, so she lingers on the porch. Norman shoots her a quizzical look, and she shakes her head and turns her attention back to Kate.

As Dylan steps into the foyer, Alex turns his head and then rises to meet him in the hallway. They exchange a few words, voices hushed, and Dylan passes something to Alex.

"What's going on?" Norma asks, leaning forward and pausing the episode they were watching.

"Nothing," Dylan says. Alex turns, holding one hand behind his back. Dylan gives his mother a look, raising his eyebrows and pressing his lips together and nodding almost imperceptibly.

"Okay," Norma says, more in response to his nonverbal communication. 

"Hon, can I show you something upstairs?" Alex asks.

"Sure." Norma stands. "I'll be right there."

Alex smiles and vanishes from sight. Norma walks over to Dylan and softly asks, "Did you get it?"

He glances upwards to make sure Alex doesn't see and hands his mother a small black box. She takes it and presses a kiss to Dylan's cheek.

"Thank you, Dylan."

"Don't mention it."

Norma hurries upstairs, excited to give the special present to her husband. She forgets that he has something secret too until she walks into their bedroom and sees him sitting there waiting for her with a wide grin.

She shuts the door behind her and walks up to him, an intrigued look on her face. 

"What are you up to?" she asks.

Alex pulls her down next to him. "I asked Dylan to do me a favor, since I couldn't get out and do it myself, and I couldn't get it out of my mind," he says. After a brief pause, he reaches behind him and pulls out a photograph. 

Norma takes it from him. It shows two headstones, one her own. The other is a black slab of granite with simple lettering that reads:

ALEXANDER ROMERO 

SGT. U.S. MARINES

GULF WAR

1967 — 2017

BELOVED HUSBAND OF NORMA

She inhales sharply and meets his eyes. His mouth turns up at the corners, and she pulls him in for a kiss. She breaks off to hug him, eyes falling shut with a happy sigh.

"I never want to be apart from you again, in any way," Alex says, holding her head close. 

"You don't have to worry about that now," Norma replies.

She withdraws to kiss him again, then leans over him to set the photograph on her nightstand, propping it up against the lamp.

When she settles back down, she smiles at Alex and says, "I have something for you, too." He raises an eyebrow. "Close your eyes—and hold out your hands." 

He does.

She removes the small box from her pocket and takes a moment to admire its contents. Then she grabs Alex's left hand, turns it over so it's facing palm-down, and slips a plain silver band onto his finger.

Alex opens his eyes and looks down at the ring, his lips parting in surprise.

"I've wanted to get you a ring since we were first married," Norma says. She continues to hold his hand and study his brand new wedding band. "I felt so terrible for never buying you one. When you showed up with mine..." She lifts her head and smiles. "That's when I fell for you."

Alex takes hold of her face with both hands and thanks her with his lips.

"I love you," he says upon breaking away.

"I love you," she returns, and hugs him with such force that he falls backwards onto the bed.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Kate lets her parents sleep in longer than they ever normally would. She's still dozing peacefully at nine o'clock, when Emma and Dylan stir from their slumber. Emma goes over to her crib and checks on her, then crawls back under the covers, curling into Dylan's side. He lays an arm over her and tucks the other under his head. 

Staring up at the ceiling, he sighs and says, "I guess we should be going soon."

"Yeah, probably..."

Emma looks around the room—at the baby's crib, piles of clothes, and other personal items of theirs that made the move from the motel into Dylan's old room. As strange as she thought it would be to live in this house, it feels familiar and right. She didn't realize how much she missed Norman and Norma, either, until they re-entered her life. For a moment she allows herself to imagine what it would be like if they were a typical family. Norma and Alex visiting on weekends, Norman babysitting for them, spending holidays together...

"It could never happen," she says to herself.

"What?" Dylan asks, looking down at her.

"Huh? Oh, I... I was just thinking about how nice it would be if our family was normal. If everyone was alive."

Dylan emits a short laugh. "Norma and Norman have never been normal, even when they were alive."

Emma rolls her eyes. "You have a point, but you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know." He rubs her back. "But this is better than nothing, isn't it?"

"Well... For the time being. What's gonna happen when Katie grows up and notices her grandparents aren't looking any older? And they never leave the house? What are we supposed to—Are you listening to me?"

Dylan's attention is elsewhere, and he ignores his wife's question and climbs out of bed. He crosses the room and picks a book up off the dresser. 

"What?" Emma asks, sitting up. 

He slowly walks back to the bed and sits on the edge of it. She peers over his shoulder, noting the book's title. "'The Living and the Dead: Harmonious Lifestyles and Peaceful Co-Existence.' Where did that come from?"

"I don't know," Dylan says.

"Is it a joke?"

"I don't know."

He flips it open and glances over the table of contents, which includes chapters such as "Sharing a Home with the Deceased" and "Dealing with Non-Believers: How to Explain or Excuse Interactions with the Dead."

Emma opens her mouth to speak, but Kate chooses that moment to wake. She picks up the baby and hushes her as she looks to Dylan. He shrugs and stands, leaving her no choice but to follow.

They find the other occupants of the house in the living room. "Mom, do you know—" Dylan starts, but is cut off by Emma's sudden intake of breath.

"What?" Norma asks, standing. 

"I—" Emma chokes out. "I can see you perfectly."

"Oh, honey," Norma says, and steps forward to hug her and the baby. Dylan and Norman share a smile, and Alex regards the scene before him with fondness. The two women pull away from each other, and Kate reaches out toward Norma. "Can I—?" Norma asks.

Emma smiles, feeling more comfortable with the idea now that her vision has fully improved. "Of course," she says, handing over the baby.

Norma's breath catches as she takes Kate into her arms. "Hello, sweetheart," she soothes. Kate stares up at her happily as she begins to sway from side to side. 

Dylan hugs Emma to him and throws an arm over Norman's shoulders, who's since come to stand nearby. Alex meanwhile is drawn towards his wife without consciously deciding to move. He hovers close to her, taking in the sight of her and Kate, and for the briefest of moments wishes he could have given her a baby. The thought is ridiculous, both of them long past the desire for parenthood, but he can imagine another life, in another universe, where he finds her when he's younger and they have a family of their own. Reality is more than enough to satisfy him though, and the pleasant little fantasy fades from mind as Norma speaks.

"What's that?" she asks, indicating the book in Dylan's hand.

"Oh," he says, "We came down to ask if you knew anything about this." He shows her the cover, which Alex and Norman peak at as well. 

"That looks like the Handbook for the Recently Deceased," Norman says. He walks over to the coffee table and retrieves it. "Mother said it just appeared."

Emma and Dylan study the Handbook and look between each other. "What do you think it means that this one appeared?" Dylan directs the question towards his mother, but she stares at him blankly. He turns back to Emma, who takes a deep breath. 

While still looking at him, she says, "I think... Maybe we should stay here." 

"Really—?" Dylan says, caught off-guard. "You mean that?"

Emma nods, and as she's about to ask Norma if it's okay, she's hugging her again. 

Norman stands motionless for a few seconds, overwhelmed with happiness, then he joins in the hug. Dylan glances at Alex and laughs, then embraces him. 

Eventually, they disentangle themselves from one another but stand close together, each of them grinning and some wiping away tears of joy. After all their pain and all their sorrow, they know that everything has fallen into place at long last.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has followed this story and left comments and kudos! Your support has meant so much to me over these past few months. :) 
> 
> I've loved writing this and I'm sad for it to end, but I think it will finally bring me some closure. I hope it does the same for you. xo


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